Brassiere



June 25, 1963 F. M. SMITH 3,094,991

BRASSIERE Filed July 14, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. FRANEEE M. EJMITH AT TURNEIY.

F. M. SMITH BRASSIERE June 25, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 14, 1961 INVENTOR. FRANDEE: M. SMITH ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,094,991 BRASSIERE Frances M. Smith, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to The La Resista Corset Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed July 1.4, 1961, Ser. No. 124,148 10 Claims. (Cl. 128489) The present invention relates to brassieres, and has for an object to provide a brassiere wherein the desired supporting and molding functions of the garment are obtained while at the same time free movement of the body may take place with the least amount of restraint compatible with the comfort and well-being of the wearer. In particular it is proposed to provide a brassiere in which its component parts are designed to provide the most effective accommodation to the muscular arrangement and action of the female anatomy, to the end that while the garment provides the desired support it will yield to the muscular movements of the body during normal arm movements without exerting injurious pressures and restraints.

While all of the various muscles of the chest, shoulder, back and arms come into play during normal movements of the body the principal muscle affected by the conventional brassiere structure is the pectoralis major muscle which underlies the breast and is connected to the clavicle, the sternum and certain ribs at its inner terminals and to the upper arm within the deltoid furrow between the deltoid muscle and the biceps at its outer terminals. When the arm is in its normal lowered position the the pectoralis major muscle twists upon itself, and when the arm is extended or raised above the head its fibres assume a parallel position with the result that there is a two-directional or rotational play of the muscle with a marked change in its surface contours and dimensions, particularly in the area traversed by the upper edge of the brassiere extending between the forward and rearward attachment points of the shoulder strap. The indiscriminate arrangement of yielding and unyielding areas in the brassiere can result in lack of proper support, injurious pressures and irritations to the muscles, riding up of the garment, surface wrinkling, edge gaping, and unsightly bulging. The primary object of the inveniton is to provide a brassiere which effectually obviates these undesirable conditions.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a brassiere according to the invention, the same being shown in a flattened position with the breast cups in their pre-shaped extended position;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the left hand yieldable transition member disposed in the flattened position before assembly in the garment;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line S5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the yieldable transition member shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the brassiere in Patented June 25, 1963 use upon the wearer with the arms in normal downward position, and showing in dotted lines the arrangement of certain muscles; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7 and showing the arms in raised position.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the brassiere, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated therein, comprises a pair of breast cups 1010 each pre-shaped and consisting of an upper section 11 of suitable non-stretchable or inelastic material, a pair of lower sections 12 and 13, also of non-stretchable or inelastic material, joined together along a curved seam line 14 and connected at their upper edges along a curved seam line 15 to the lower edge of the upper section 11. Each breast cup is also partially formed by a portion of a two-way stretch elastic transition member 16 joined along a curved seam line 17 to the outer edges of the upper and lower sections 11 and 12, these outer edges being in a continuous arched line extending from the upper edge of the breast cup to its lower edge with the crown of the arch outwardly of the center point of the breast cup and at a substantial distance inwardly from the periphery of the wearers breast, as clearly indicated in FIG; 3. The inward upper edge 18 of the breast cup is suitably curved in an upward and outward direction in relation to the forward center line of the brassiere so that a substantially V-shaped space is provided between the two breast cups. The lower edge of each breast cup is convexly curved downwardly along a substantially circular line, one extremity of which is at the upper edge 18 while the other extremity is at an intermediate point 19 of the lower edge of the transition member 16, so that the outer marginal portion of the breast cup is formed by the portion of the transition member contiguous to the curved seam line 17 and extending from the lower edge of the breast cup to the upper edge 18.

As seen in FIG. 4 the transition member 16 has a concavely curved inner edge 20 for joining to the outer edges of the breast cup sections 11 and 12, a convexly curved lower edge portion 21 for joining to the curved lower edge of the breast cup and a horizontal lower edge portion 22 extending from the intermediate point 19 to the outer edge of the transition member. The transition member is formed of diflerential two-way stretch elastic material having its major direction of stretch parallel to the horizontal lower edge portion 22 as indicated by the arrow 23, its minor direction of stretch at right angles to the arrow 23 as indicated by the arrow 24, and a resulting capability of stretching diagonally.

The outer elastic edge 25 of the transition member is concavely curved and is formed by folding a marginal hem 26 to the under side, and elastic facing tape 27 being secured over the hem by zigzag stitching 28 having the capability of stretching with the tape. A fully stretchable zone is thus provided along the outer edge 25. The outer edge 25 meets in a laterally outwardly directed apex with the outer end of the lower edge 22 and extends in a generally upwardly and inwardly inclined direction to the outer end of the elastic upper edge 29, the latter being inclined downwardly from the upper end of the inner edge 20 to the upper end of the outer edge 25 in the flattened position of the transition member seen in FIGS. 4 and 6. The edge 29 is formed by folding a marginal portion of the material to the under side to provide a bias hem 30. The hem 30 is a secured at its outer edge beneath the elastic tape 27, and in the assembled relation in the garment its inner edge is secured by the seam line 17. The folded down hem provides a double thickness fully stretchable zone along the upper edge 29, thus constituting an elastic terminal portion or extension of the upper edge 18 of the breast cup which a) meets in an upwardly directed apex with the outer edge 25, for a purpose presently to more fully appear.

The two breast cups are separated in the forward center of the garment by a horizontally elastic front panel 31 preferably formed of two pieces of horizontally stretchable elastic material s ecured together along a central vertical line by ladderstitching 32, the upper portions of its outer edges being secured by a line ofstitching 33 to the lower edges of the breast cups from the upper edges 18 to a point inwardly spaced from the seam lines 14, where the lower portions of the outer edges extend downwardly and inwardly in straight lines and are secured by stitching 34 to the inner ends of a pair of nonstretchable or inelastic band members 35. The lower edge zone of the front panel is fully stretchable and is formed by a folded under marginal hem covered by an elastic tape 36 secured by zigzag stitching 3-7. The inelastic band members 35 and the elastic panel 31 constitute the frame or body of the brassiere.

The lower edge of each band member 35 in the flattened position of the garment as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 is hemmed under andextends in a straight line in a downwardly and outwardly inclined'direction from the center panel, and the upper edge is shaped to conform to the lower curved edges of the breast cups, and to the lower edges 21 and 22 of the transition member where it is secured by the curved line of stitching 33 and by a horizontal line of stitching 38. The pointat which the outer edge 25 of the transition member joins the upper edge of the band member is intermediate the length ofthe band member and by virtue of the non-stretchability of the band member constitutes a substantially fixed anchor point '39 which in the position of the garment upon the wearer is substantially at a midpoint of the side or flank of the wearer, for a purpose presently to more fully appear. From the anchor point 39 an upper edge portion 49 of each band member is hemmed under and extends in a downwardly and outwardly inclined direction in substantial continuation of the outer edge 25 of the transition member as seen in the flattened position of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The outer or free ends of the band members 35 are hemmed under and adapted to be yieldably connected at the back of the wearer. For this purpose the outer end of one band member is provided with an elastic fastener strap 41 having a tab end 42 provided with a series of eye members 43 for connection with hooks 44 secured to the outer end of the other band member. The front panel 31 together with the band members 35 and the fastener strip 41 constitute a body encircling band.

At each side of the garment a shoulder strap 45 is connected at its forward end to the upper end of the outer edge 25 of the transition member adjacent the upper edge 29 and in line with the turned under hem 39, and is connected at its rearward end by an elastic tape 46 to the outer end of the upper edge portion 40 of the band member. Thus the shoulder strap is yieldable at its forwardend by virtue of its connection with the yieldable upper end portion of the transition member and is yieldable at its rearward end by virtue of the elastic tape 46.

The several non-stretchable seams and hems at the inner side ofthe b-rassiere are covered in the conventional manner by tape facing 47. 7 i

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the brassiere and its parts substantially to scale with the elastic parts in their relaxed state and with certain portions foreshortened, and FIGS. 4 and 6 show the transition member 16 in a flattened position before assembly with the brassiere and in a relaxed-state. By way of example the relaxed length of the fully stretchable elastic zone along the top edge 29 of the transition member is about one inch, Whereas fully stretched it is about 1 /2 inches long. The relaxed length of the fully stretchable elastic zone along the outer edge 25 is about inches, whereas fully stretched it is about 7 inches long. Of course, when the brassiere is on the body the length of the edge zones are somewhat greater than the minimum and during normal movements of the wearer arev not stretched to the full extent possible. A sector roughly half the width of the elastic transition member 16 replaces what would in a typical prior brassiere be a non stretchable part of a breast cup. The remainder of the elastic transition member replaces what would be a non-stretchable part of the frame or body of such typical prior brassiere.

In the position of the brassiere upon the person of wearer, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8; the outer elastic taped edge 25 of the transition member 16 traverses the pectoralis major muscle 48 in outwardly-spaced relation to the outer contour of the breast and extends downwardly and rearwardly across the serratus (anterior) muscle 49 to the anchor point 39 which overlies the latissimus dorsi muscle 50 near its forward edge at the side of the body. The pectoralis major muscle twists upon itself near its connection with the upper arm in the lowered position of the arm as seen in FIG. 7 and when the arm is raised as seen in FIG. 8 it assumes a position with the fibres in generally parallel relation. Its function is to draw the arm forward and medially, rotate it inward, and lower it when raised vertically. The serratus (anterior) muscle functions to draw the scapula forward or laterally, and the latissimus dorsi'muscle functions to draw the arm backward and medially, rotate it inward, and lower it when raised vertically, working in this respect in conjunctionwith the pectoralis major muscle. During this action the pectoralis major muscle has two-directional or rotational play with a marked change in itssurface contours and dimensions, one direction of play being substantially in the direction in which the taped edge 25 traverses themuscle and the other direction of play being substantially inthe direction of stretch of the upper edge 29 of the transition member through the pull of the shoulder strap thereon.

By virtue of the two-directional and resultant diagonal stretch of the transition member its outer taped edge effectually accommodates itself to'the action of the muscle without exerting; injurious pressure or restraint thereon, while at the same time it remains in smooth,-snug engagement therewith. The yielding action of the taped edge starts at fixed anchor point 39 and is confined to the distance between this point and 'the point of attachment of the shoulder strap as indicated by the arrow 51, the latter point moving at the same time through the pull of the shoulder strap and the stretch of the transition member along the upper edge 29 as indicated by the arrow 52, so that the tape edge in effect swings about the anchor point 39 as a pivot asit yields longitudinally.

It'will be observed that the lower circumferential edge of the breast cup remains in a substantially fixed position on the body in surrounding relation to the lower and inner contour of the breast, and that the'transition member traverses the junction between the outer contour of the breast and the adjacent surface of the pectoralis major muscle where it emerges from the outer side of the breast, so that during the arm raising or other movements of the wearer the transition member, which in part constitutes the outer portion of the breast cup, provides a smooth non-wrinkling transition between the non-stretchable preshaped portion of the breast cup and the outer edge of the transition member, and at the same time prevents any tendency for the breast cup to move out of relation with the breast or the breast to move out of the breast cup.

The band members 35 remain in a substantially fixed position at each side of the body, and expansion and contraction of the circumferential chest measurement is compensated for by the horizontal elastic front panel 31 and the elastic fastener strap 41. By virtue of the yielding connections at the front and. rear ends of the shoulder straps and the fixed anchor points 39 the band members are prevented from riding up or being otherwise displaced during normal arm or other movements of the upper body of the wearer, and the shoulder straps are prevented from exerting excessive pressure upon the shoulders.

It will be understood that the brassiere of the invention may be incorporated in combination garments such as slips, nightgowns, bathing suits and the like, as the upper part of such garments. The term brassiere as used herein is therefore intended to apply to a brassiere per so, as well as to a brassiere part of a combination garment.

What is claimed is:

1. A brassiere comprising:

(a) a body encircling band;

(b) a pair of breast cups respectively disposed at each side of the forward center line of the brassiere;

(0) each said breast cup comprising in part a preshaped cup member to support and mold the breast of the wearer, and in part a transition member of elastic material;

(d each said cup member having an inward upper edge inclined upwardly and outwardly relatively to said center line, a lower edge convexly curved downwardly to substantially conform in part to the lower periphery of the wearers breast, and an outward side edge extending between the outer extremities of its said upper and lower edges in a generally up and down direction for engagement over the breast of the wearer along an arched line having its crown outwardly of the center and substantially inwardly of the outer periphery of the breast cup;

(e) each said transition member having an upper elastic edge constituting an elastic extension of said inward upper edge of said cup member, a lower edge having an inward portion constituting an extension of said lower edge of said cup member and an outward portion extending outwardly to a point intermediate the length of said body encircling band and secured thereto, an inner side edge coextensive with and secured along its full length to said outward side edge of said cup member, and an outer elastic edge meeting at its upper extremity with the outer extremity of its said upper elastic edge in an upwardly directed apex and extending downwardly and outwardly from its said upper extremity and meeting at its lower extremity with the outer extremity of its said lower edge in a laterally outwardly directed apex;

(1) said body encircling band extending at each side of said forward center line of the brassiere and having upper and lower edges, said upper edge in part being coextensive with and secured along said lower edges of said cup members and said lower edges of said transition members, and in part extending outwardly from said laterally directed apex of each of said transition members for disposition at the back of the wearer; and

(g) a pair of shoulder straps, each connected at its forward end to said upwardly directed apex of a respective transition member and connected at its rearward end to the upper edge of said band at a point adapted to be disposed at the back of the wearer.

2. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that each said pre-shaped cup member is for-med of inelastic material.

3. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that each said transition member is formed of twoway stretch elastic material having one direction of stretch substantially horizontal and the other direction of stretch substantially vertical.

4. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that each said transition member is formed of diffierential two-way stretch elastic material having its major direction of stretch substantially horizontal and its minor direction of stretch substantially vertical.

5. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said outer elastic edge of each said transition member comprises a marginal portion of the material of said transition member folded upon itself, and wherein an elastic tape is secured along the full length of said marginal portion.

6. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, turther characterized in that said upper elastic edge of each said transition member comprises a marginal portion of the material of said transition member folded upon itself.

7. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said connection of each said shoulder strap to said upwardly directed apex of a respective transition member is along said outer elastic edge adjacent its meeting point with said upper elastic edge of said transition member.

8. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said band is inelastic at least along those portions of its upper edge immediately adjacent to and extending outwardly from said laterally outwardly directed apices of said transition members.

9. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said band comprises a pair of inelastic band members having upper and lower edges and inner and outer end edges, said inner end edges being disposed at points intermediate said lower edges of said cup members, and said outer end edges being disposed outwardly beyond said laterally outwardly directed apices of said transition members, an elastic panel extending at each side of said forward center line having curved upper edges secured to said lower edges of said cup members, side edges secured to said inner end edges of said band members and a lower edge substantially in line with the lower edges of said band members, and horizontally elastic means for connecting said outer end edges of said band members at the wearers back.

10. A brassiere as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said shoulder straps each comprise an inelastic strap member connected at one end to a respective transition member and adapted to extend over the shoulder to the back of the wearer and an elastic tape connected between its other end and the upper edge of a respective band member at a point adapted to be disposed at the wearers back.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,538,709 Rosner Ian. 16, 1951 2,651,040 Block Sept. 8, 1953 2,869,554 Hollar Ian. 20, 1959 2,971,517 Steinmetz Feb. 14, 1961 

1. A BRASSIERE COMPRISING: (A) A BODY ENCIRCLING BAND; (B) A PAIR OF BREAST CUPS RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED AT EACH SIDE OF THE FORWARD CENTER LINE OF THE BRASSIERE; (C) EACH SAID BREAST CUP COMPRISING IN PART A PRESHAPED CUP MEMBER TO SUPPORT AND MOLD THE BREAST OF THE WEARER, AND IN PART A TRANSITION MEMBER OF ELASTIC MATERIAL; (D) EACH SAID CUP MEMBER HAVING AN INWARD UPPER EDGE INCLINED UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY RELATIVELY TO SAID CENTER LINE, A LOWER EDGE CONVEXLY CURVED DOWNWARDLY TO SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORM IN PART TO THE LOWER PERIPHERY OF THE WEARER''S BREAST, AND AN OUTWARD SIDE EDGE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE OUTER EXTREMITIES OF ITS SAID UPPER AND LOWER EDGES IN A GENERALLY UP AND DOWN DIRECTION FOR ENGAGEMENT OVER THE BREAST OF THE WEARER ALONG AN ARCHED LINE HAVING ITS CROWN OUTWARDLY OF THE CENTER AND SUBSTANTIALLY INWARDLY OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE BREAST CUP; (E) EACH SAID TRANSITION MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER ELASTIC EDGE CONSTITUTING AN ELASTIC EXTENSION OF SAID INWARD UPPER EDGE OF SAID CUP MEMBER, A LOWER EDGE HAVING AN INWARD PORTION CONSTITUTING AN EXTENSION OF SAID LOWER EDGE OF SAID CUP MEMBER AND AN OUTWARD PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY TO A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE LENGTH OF SAID BODY ENCIRCLING BAND AND SECURED THERETO, AN INNER SIDE EDGE COEXTENSIVE WITH AND SECURED ALONG ITS FULL LENGTH TO SAID OUTWARD SIDE EDGE OF SAID CUP MEMBER, AND AN OUTER ELASTIC EDGE MEETING AT ITS UPPER EXTREMITY WITH THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF ITS SAID UPPER ELASTIC EDGE IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED APEX AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM ITS SAID UPPER EXTREMITY AND MEETING AT ITS LOWER EXTREMITY WITH THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF ITS SAID LOWER EDGE IN A LATERALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED APEX; (F) SAID BODY ENCIRCLING BAND EXTENDING AT EACH SIDE OF SAID FORWARD CENTER LINE OF THE BRASSIERE AND HAVING UPPER AND LOWER EDGES, SAID UPPER EDGE IN PART BEING COEXTENSIVE WITH AND SECURED ALONG SAID LOWER EDGES OF SAID CUP MEMBERS AND SAID LOWER EDGES OF SAID TRANSITION MEMBERS, AND IN PART EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID LATERALLY DIRECTED APEX OF EACH OF SAID TRANSITION MEMBERS FOR DISPOSITION AT THE BACK OF THE WEARER; AND (G) A PAIR OF SHOULDER STRAPS, EACH CONNECTED AT ITS FORWARD END TO SAID UPWARDLY DIRECTED APEX OF A RESPECTIVE TRANSITION MEMBER AND CONNECTED AT ITS REARWARD END TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID BAND AT A POINT ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED AT THE BACK OF THE WEARER. 